


Things are Getting Dicey

by Snowish



Series: Dramaturgy [2]
Category: Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door, Super Mario & Related Fandoms, Super Paper Mario (Game)
Genre: Misgendering, Transphobia, deadnaming, large focus on OCs, said instance of transphobia is very brief tho and shot down very fast, there will be a couple of canon characters tho
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-26
Updated: 2018-08-30
Packaged: 2018-12-20 04:25:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11913159
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Snowish/pseuds/Snowish
Summary: Where did Masked Magicians come from? Come to think of it, where does any species come from? Beings that can live for thousands of years... It reeks of the work of gods. So who are those gods, anyway?A girl named Belladonna somehow stumbles upon the answers to these questions when looking for something else--Her lost cousins Estelle and Specter--And quickly realizes Masked Magicians and Dream Demons have more in common than one would assume.Can she and the six friends she teams up with along the way make sense of all the information hurled at them? And just what about them makes these gods so interested in them?COVER ART: https://snow-ish.deviantart.com/art/Things-are-Getting-Dicey-701035688-------This story takes place around the same time as Unmasked. It focuses largely on worldbuilding for the Mario verse and to fit several fan-made species and concepts I came up with for the purpose of my stories.





	1. Prologue: Godly Families 101

**Author's Note:**

> DISCLAIMER: A lot of the lore and stuff involved in this story is Big-Time headcanon and me shoving my own stuff into things. Shortly after discovering Dimentio is implied to be a descendant of a member of the Tribe of Ancients, I decided to fine-tune and old idea I had a while ago.
> 
> Said idea is the creation of 11 gods and linking them to various species that either already exist in the Mario canon or are of my own creation. 
> 
> I just figured it's a fun way to expand on information given and link lots of bits of lore together!

“Long, long ago, before many of the dimensions of this world had even finished forming, there were three gods. Their names were Cysolix, Bynoctis, and Flora. It is their contributions to the world that led to the magic diversity we see today.

“Cysolix was the god of the sun. His golden feathers graced the skies and gave warmth to all who rested under them. He was a free spirit, with very powerful abilities… But was known for his lack of control.

“Bynoctis was the god of the moon. His monstrous form may have scared many early mortals, but he was truly a gentle soul. Unlike Cysolix, his magic was very controlled, to the point that may have been its downfall. In its control, it lost the versatility it could have had.

“Flora was the goddess of the earth. She was restricted to the surface, unlike Cysolix and Bynoctis who could travel the skies, but it was this that made her the most cherished by the mortals. She could interact with them directly and tend to their needs. To this day, we’re not really sure if she had any magic at all.

“Any questions so far? Because this will go on for quite a bit.” The beaked individual asked as he turned to his student.

 

“I want to know about Wishgranter.” The younger creature said, rather insistently. His four arms gripped the paper he was holding tightly. He had brought them with the intention of taking notes, but his teacher realized he had not done so when he had started talking.

“We will… Get to him. Soon.” The teacher mumbled, folding his own four arms. Like all Ketzalites, he had a tapered body with no legs, four arms, and a large hooked beak. The back of his head sprouted a large tuft of bright blue feathers, standing out from his dark grey skin.

“Can’t we just skip the boring stuff?” The younger one said. His colors were different from his teacher’s--pale pink skin with red tufts--and his beak wasn’t as long.

“Boring--Bala, this is important history for our culture! Starting from the beginning gives us the full context, and it’ll help--”

“We can do that later!” Bala whined. “What I want to learn about right now is Wishgranter! Bern, you promised to tell me what I wanted to know.”

“And I will. But you need to listen to everything else that comes along with it.” Bern said sternly. He stared at Bala, who stared back. After a few moments of silence, Bala tucked his head down, finally willing to listen to Bern’s full lecture.

 

“Now, it is important I tell you the whole story, because the gods are responsible for making several main species that exist across the dimensions.” Bern picked up, turning around and moving across the room. “Do you know a few of those species?”

“Well, us Ketzalites, obviously.” Bala scoffed. “Then… Shadows, Starlings, Floro Sapiens… And I think Toads?”

Bern nodded encouragingly. “That’s a fair amount! But not all of them. There’s also Beanish, Masked Magicians, and Dream Demons.”

“I’ve never heard of those last two.” Bala admitted as he scrawled the names down.

“Not many Ketzalites have. It’s more or less something kept to the royal family. The common folk, they’d just… Like to stay in their own little bubble. Dream Demons do too, but it’s with Masked Magicians that we’ve… Anyway, the three gods I mentioned before had a total of eight children between them. Seven of those children are responsible for making one of those species, with Flora making the last one herself.”

Bern picked up a piece of chalk on a nearby table and began to hastily scribble down a quick family tree, in order to give Bala a visual representation of how the gods worked. Once he had the main family written down, he changed to a different color of chalk, marking the species each divine being had made.

“So Shima’s the one who created us.” Bala said as he finished writing his own stuff.

“Correct.” Bern said with a nod as he cleared chalk dust off his hands. “But remember, this is AGES ago, so the original Ketzalites may look a lot different than we do now… But let’s take another look at this tree… You see where Wishgranter and Dewtender are placed?”

“Wishgranter seems to be the child of Cysolix and Flora… While Dewtender is the child of Bynoctis and Flora.”

“Yes. You see, the thing is that Cysolix and Bynoctis hated each other. But they also both loved Flora. Nobody really knows what happened as a result of that, but in the end the gods chose to withdraw from the world. This left their children, who eventually withdrew as well. Sometimes the children show up, but it’s very rarely, every few hundred years or so…” Bern said. “That brings us to… Wishgranter, who you wanted to hear about to begin with.”

 

“Well?” Bala asked eagerly, perking up.

“Wishgranter is easily the godling that shows up the most often. But it’s never for a good reason. Unlike all of the other gods, he seems to harbor malicious intent towards all mortals. He causes trouble wherever he shows up.”

“But they say he can grant wishes.” Bala said softly, his eyes lighting up.

At this, Bern paused. So that was the child’s game.

“Bala… They’re never worth it. They always come with some sort of price that tends to make the wish obsolete. You wish for riches, you find it stolen the next day. You wish for love, and you get it from somebody who’s not your type.” He advised. “He likes to mess with everyone who genuinely thinks they can get things for free.”

“I never said I wanted it for free…” Bala mumbled.

Bern moved closer to his student, a pleading expression on his face.

“Bala, under no circumstances are you to look for Wishgranter. He is without a doubt the most dangerous of the gods, even more so than his parents.”

“I won’t.” Bala said flatly, staring Bern right in the eyes. Bern knew the child wasn’t being honest, but he also knew it would be pointless to press any further.

He sighed and then turned back to the chalkboard. As he wrote more things they would talk about before the evening was over, he made a mental note to speak to Gumyre, the king, later. If anyone could set the child straight, it would be his own father.


	2. Ruins of Nox

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It is here we meet our main character and learn much about her home. While Mario and Luigi are off trying to take down a matter of more obvious danger, one Dream Demon has decided to fight against the position her family has been put in for many centuries.
> 
> Only one problem:
> 
> She has no idea where to start.

 

* * *

 

 

It was quiet. Of course it was. Even if there were Demons about, they knew better than to make themselves known. There was no telling whose side one was on, even if you shared the same aether.

That just made it even more important that I keep to myself and out of sight. Because nobody would be on my side. Not with my aether, red as a crackling fire and just as noticeable.

 

I didn’t like how things had to be this way, but it’s not like I could do anything about it. Nobody would take me seriously, and they were already set in their ways.

All members of the Red Branch were to be scorned and treated like the scum of Nox.

That’s what every Dream Demon in this dimension had decided.

And being the latest generation, granddaughter of the one who started it all, I was no exception to the rule.

But that was neither here nor there. I didn’t come into the ruined square to lament over my bloodline. I didn’t come here to cry over the cracked cobblestone and slick purple weeds that had pushed their way up over the years.

No, I came here to find information. This place had once been the hub of Demon activity, where we all could gather in peace and work together. Surely there was some sort of record hall around where I could find what I wanted.

The problem was, with everything being either a mound of rubble or overrun by ivy, it was hard to tell where exactly that would be.

Well, we all have to start somewhere.

So I set to work, clambering over stones that once made large houses and other structures. With the irregular way they had crumbled, it wasn’t hard to assume they were damaged rather than having fallen apart naturally.

 

Makes one wonder, though. The attack that caused this--the one that also sent our king into his endless slumber--was over 3,000 years ago. Why haven’t we started rebuilding yet?

Fear? Respect? Waiting for our king to wake up?

If it was the latter, it’s a pointless endeavor, honestly. He hasn’t stirred in so many years. They should just give up hope.

You’d probably think that’s a cruel thing to say about one’s own king, but consider the following:

He fell asleep long before I was even born. I’m a young Demon--being barely over 120 myself, that’s only just skirting past adult age. I knew nothing about him aside from what was told to me. Why should I trust the word of others when there was no way for this king to prove it?

Then we come to my second point: He’s my great-grandfather. I kind of have the right to speak about him like that.

But enough about rocky family relationships. I need to focus and find anything to help me--Moldy scrolls, old stone tablets--whatever was used to keep records on the history of the dimension. I needed some sort of lead, anything to help me--

 

“I think I heard something.”

_Dammit._

I had been too caught up in my search to keep an ear out for others. As I held my breath now, I could hear footsteps approaching. The rubble surrounding me was tall enough to obscure me for now, but it would be useless once they got closer--and there was nowhere to hide.

Even as my mind raced to try and come up with some sort of plan, I already knew it was too late. The claws clicking on the stone got closer, and soon three figures rounded a boulder, revealing themselves to me.

 

The Demons paused upon noticing me, but their eyes narrowed once they caught sight of the mask on my face. Of course they did. That was everyone’s reaction to me. Because my mask made it clear who I was.

“Ah, so it’s one of them Red Branch wimps!” The yellow-aethered Demon, clearly the leader, scoffed. “Which one are you, I keep losing track because you’re like parasites at this rate.”

“Doesn’t matter. Like you’d even care to know my name.” I responded icily with a glance behind me. There was an opening I could take if things started to go downhill, but I was a bit stubborn at times. I wanted to see how far this was going to go.

“That’s hurtful! Of course I know your name!” The blue-aethered one said with a chuckle. His grin was definitely too wide for his own good.

“Huh? Well, don’t hold out on us, Victor! Tell us!” The green-aethered Demon urged. He looked a little younger than the other two, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he were just tagging along for the feeling of belonging.

 

“It’s Sanguis’ son! Y’know, ██████████!”

As soon as he said that, my blood went cold. How did he know that name? Nobody was supposed to know that name. I was no son.

“Oh, right! Him! Almost couldn’t tell what with his aether all tied up like that. That looks really doesn’t suit him.” The leader said with a chuckle. “Doesn’t he know his kind ain’t welcome around here, anyway?”

“Well, Red Branch?” The other two pressed, sneering at me.

All I did was stare back, not even caring that I was scowling. At this point I had two options: Leave now or teach them a lesson.

And, well, because of my aforementioned stubbornness, you know very well which option I chose.

“My name. Is _Belladonna_.” I growled, clenching my fists. “Sanguis’ _**daughter**_.”

 

“You can play pretend all you want, kid, but it doesn’t change who you are.”

_Okay, that was it._

My claws were out, and I was ready to pounce. I tensed up, preparing to, but then--

“I better not have heard what I think I just heard.”

From behind me, a new voice came. At the sound of it, the three Demons’ eyes widened, and they huddled together in shock as they realized who it was. My rage stalled for the moment, I risked a glance to find out for myself.

It was another Demon, no surprise there, but with black dream aether. Well, now every color was accounted for in this little group, huh?

But then I realized this Demon was no ordinary Demon. This was an individual who commanded a lot of respect with just her presence.

 

It was Melpomene, one of the Heads of Nox.

Here in Nox, the government, or what used to be the government, was made up of five parties, referred to as the Houses of Nox. Each House presided over Demons with a particular aether color--red, yellow, green, blue, or black.

Had things been in order and at peace, I suppose the Houses would have functioned a bit like a democracy, listening to the needs of the Demons and taking action based on said needs. But at this point, only two still remained relevant: Timor and Dispute, the houses for black and blue aether respectively.

As you could probably guess by now, Melpomene was the leader of Timor. And unlike Clio, the leader of Dispute, she tried to reach out to other Demons and keep things in order.

 

“Thaddeus. Victor. Francis.” She said flatly as she walked up in order to stand beside me. Apparently she was familiar with these three as she looked to each of them while saying their names.

“Lady Melpomene!” The leader, apparently named Thaddeus, managed. “What brings you here?”

“That’s none of your business, Thaddeus.” She shot back, tone fierce but expression otherwise uninterested. “What are _you_ doing here tormenting this young _lady_?”

The way she stressed that last word made my heart jump a little, and I couldn’t help but feel a bit grateful to her.

“Aw, can’t ya see, Lady Melpomene? She’s a Red Branch, lookit her mask!”

_Hah! He referred to me properly this time! (Granted, it might have been just because Melpomene was present, but I’m taking the win anyway!)_

“The circumstances of her birth are irrelevant.” Melpomene replied, narrowing her eyes. “You don’t have to like members of the Red Branch, but I will not tolerate petty bullying, do I make myself clear?”

“Yes ma’am.” All three Demons responded as they looked at the ground.

“Very good. Now leave.”

 

And so they did, but not before shooting me a group of venomous looks. I stuck my tongue back out at them in response, making it clear I wasn’t beaten yet.

“Are you alright, dear?”

“Yeah, it’s fine. Not the worst they could have done.” I replied as I turned to face Melpomene.

Oh, wow, she was… Pretty short. I was almost a whole foot over her. That certainly made things less intimidating I guess, but she was still one of the most influential Demons of Nox. I still had to treat her with respect.

And luckily, she did the same to me, which is something I didn’t expect. Most Demons acted like the three who had just fled when meeting somebody from the scorned branch of the royal family.

“That’s good.” She said with a nod. “If anyone else gives you trouble like that, let me know. I can take care of it. I do have a question, though…”

 

I raised an eyebrow, but didn’t speak.

“What are you doing in this part of the city? It’s destroyed and abandoned… There’s nothing here for anyone.” She asked, kicking a small rock to emphasize this.

“Maybe on the surface.” I agreed, beginning to walk. No sense in just standing around. “But maybe there’s something that could help me in all this rubble. Family records, for instance.”

“And just how would those help you?” Melpomene further questioned as she followed me, being surprisingly quick on her short legs. “As far back as three thousand years, too… You’re barely past a century yourself, why do you care?”

At this point, I stopped walking, staring down at the ground and clenching my fists again.

 

“Why do you care?” I couldn’t help but shoot back. “Common sense dictates you shouldn’t like me. My mask is evidence enough of that.”

Melpomene paused beside me, putting a claw to her mouth as she tried to come up with a response. Not that I expected her to have a very believable reason. She should just leave me alone.

“It’s true. I am wary of you because of your placement in the royal tree. But I don’t think that means you should be treated like trash. Us Demons need to stick together. The incident that caused all this damage… It was the catalyst for our current divide. I want to fix that.”

My tail lashed angrily. Of course she would respond with something noble like that. She was the leader of Timor, after all. Demons still paid attention to her and cared about what she had to say--unlike a certain other Head of Nox.

“I won’t stop you or anything, but… I am curious, is all. It’s up to you whether you tell me or not.” She finished.

I huffed, making it clear I definitely wasn’t in the mood, and stood still, refusing to look at her. She stood by me for a moment before giving a light sigh, knowing there was no sense in pushing the issue.

But as she started to walk away, I began to rethink things. If she was a Head of Nox, like Clio, perhaps she had the information I wanted. Maybe I didn’t have to go around looking through ruins.

 

“I’m trying to find information on my grandfather.” I finally said, loud enough that she could hear from the distance she had already reached.

I heard her footsteps pause before she turned back to face me. After a moment of hesitation, I turned as well, seeing she had a rather solemn expression on her face.

“I’m afraid that even if you do find any records… There likely won’t be anything on him.” She answered. “It’s a futile effort.”

“How come?” I asked, suddenly getting annoyed. It had been like this when I tried to ask my mother about him as well. She had said there was ‘no point’ in learning about him.

“The same reason the union of him and Calliope resulted in your branch of the family tree being marked as rotten. He was not of the dimension of Nox. It was so soon after the event that caused all this damage. Demons were scared. We still are. “ She answered plainly.

That was stupid. How xenophobic could they get? Fear didn’t excuse any of it if it meant they were treating their own kind like this. I may not be pure Dream Demon, but I’ve spent my whole life in Nox. That should count for something!

“I still have to try.” Was all I said in response before continuing on my way. Melpomene stood in silence as she watched me go, vanishing past a large pile of rubble.

 

Once I was out of sight, however, the tears started to well up. I hated crying in front of other people, so the second I was certain she couldn’t see me anymore, the waterworks started.

What was I even crying about? Being harrassed by those three assholes? Being told my effort was for naught? Realizing no matter how hard I tried, I would still be treated like scum?

Take your pick.

I sat down on the ground, rubbing at my mask to try and clear the tears.

_Belladonna,_ you may ask, _why don’t you just take your mask off to make things easier?_

Well, the short answer is I can’t. I mean, I can, but I shouldn’t.

Because the second I take my mask off, I lose all my memories. This is what my mother told me when she gave me the mask.

When we reached a certain age, my mother had explained to me and my sister that we weren’t just Dream Demons. We were part of another race called Masked Magicians. As the name implies, our power is tied to the masks we wear. The only drawback is the masks house our memories, so removal means we forget everything.

Despite knowing this, me and my sister decided to take the masks and put them on. I don’t know Nelebun’s reason, but I did it so I could feel a bit closer to the father I never knew.

So as I sat there crying, I knew there wasn’t a whole lot I could do to make the process easier. Sometimes you just had to let it out.

And as much as I wanted to sit there for hours, just letting all my emotions wash away in a stream of tears, I knew I couldn’t. It was getting dark--well, darker than usual--and I had to head home soon.

With that, I urged myself to stop for now. I wiped the tear trails from my mask and chin and stood up, starting to head for home.

At least there, people cared for me.

 

* * *

 

Or so I thought.

When I reached the door of my home, a plain single-story house that was usually quiet as the night so as not to attract attention, I was greeted by a loud conversation taking place on the other side of the door.

With my claws on the doorknob, I paused, straining my ears to try and catch what was being discussed.

“Honestly, Adamine, stop turning every meeting we have into a way to make yourself look better. You may be the oldest, but you have that damn mask on, so who are you to flaunt about?”

I blinked. That was the voice of my aunt Pomus. She was speaking to my other aunt, Adamine, so apparently the two had stopped by for a visit.

“Oh, and you’re all great because you don’t have one, Pomus?” Came Adamine’s screechy voice in response.

“I would say so, yes.” Pomus replied with a haughty hmph. “And Sanguis might not have one either, but she went and made things worse by repeating Calliope’s mistake!”

Ah. Now I knew what was going on. Not a single meeting could go by without my aunts fighting with each other. Seems the subject for tonight was which was the worst part of the Red Branch.

It was at that point I decided to open the door and walk in, interrupting Adamine’s bitter response.

I stepped into the sitting room to find the three of them there, each sitting on a different piece of furniture: Pomus, Adamine, and my mother Sanguis.

 

“Oh, speak of the Demon, here’s one of those mistakes now. Welcome home, Belladonna.” Pomus said, still glaring at my mother. Her aether, bright orange-yellow as opposed to my mother’s peach-pink, flickered a bit in response to her emotions.

Normally one would take offense to being called a ‘mistake,’ but that was just the way my aunt spoke sometimes. I knew how to shrug it off. Besides, she was just bitter about the state of the family. We all were. Not like there was anything I could do about that.

 

“As I was saying.” Pomus continued as I walked in to sit down beside my mother, who looked largely uninterested in her sisters’ fight of the week.

“We’re all condemned for the crimes of our mother, even by the very House she’s supposed to lead. I don’t see why Sanguis had to go and make things worse by doing the same thing. You may have a husband too, Adamine, but at least he’s still part Dream Demon.”

“Oh, like that matters in the eyes of the populace. Nobyl’s still from outside. Proof that Demons have left before. He’s as scorned as the rest of us.” Adamine spat back.

“Fair enough.” Pomus sighed.

 

“So, Bella, did you have any luck tonight?” My mother suddenly asked, looking like she wanted to ease the tension. Honestly, I wanted to as well, so I’m glad she shifted the focus to me.

“Not really, no. Didn’t get a chance to look very well, anyway. Some other Demons tried picking a fight, and I figured I shouldn’t stick around.” I answered.

“What are you two going on about?” Adamine asked, suddenly curious.

“Belladonna has been exploring the ruins to try and find any form of records that might tell her about our father. I’ve told her not to get her hopes up, but… Well, she definitely didn’t get her determination from me, that’s for sure.” Sanguis replied.

“Oh, but… I actually met Melpomene.” I couldn’t help but mention.

“What?” All three women said out loud, with varying degrees of shock.

 

“And you got out unscathed?” Pomus pressed, raising an eyebrow. “She’s so adamant about Demons staying in Nox, one would expect her to have a lot more…” She trailed off, looking to the side. It wasn’t hard to guess what she was getting ar.

“No, she was pretty calm. More reasonable than her followers, at least.” I said. “But they ran off with their tails between their legs upon catching sight of her.”

“Gee, how nice of her. Now if only she could be like that politically.” My mother mumbled. Even if Melpomene was trying to undo the damage Clio had done, it didn’t mean she was very helpful to our family, so Sanguis’ was understandable.

“I keep telling you both, Clio’s twisted everything to make us look like the enemy!” Adamine said. “If she and Melpomene would get their heads out of their asses, we wouldn’t have to worry about this Red Branch bullshit and travel freely.”

“You know they won’t, though.” Sanguis said in a woeful tone. “Clio is happy with the power she has, and isn’t going to give it up too easily. She even went so far as to backstab her own twin. Melpomene, meanwhile, is determined to wait things out until the next winged Demon is born.”

 

Good luck with that, I thought. Dream Demons born with wings, the thing that helps us determine those worthy of royal status, are almost unheard of. The last one born was, of course, my great-grandfather, King Hypnos.

But it all went back to the disaster 3,000 years ago. Nox was attacked by outsiders. The king used his powers to drive them out, and was cursed with endless sleep as a result. Clio, one of his daughters, took advantage of this to skew the Heads of Nox in favor of her taking over, and even turned her back on her twin sister Calliope to do it.

Now things are unstable, and no clear sign of getting better. And my family is forced to hunker down and pretend we don’t exist just to avoid persecution from our own kind. We can’t even turn to the House of Suadere, which represents red-aethered Demons. Even if Calliope is its Head, they have turned away from her.

“But we don’t have to wait. Not if we were allowed to leave Nox, that is…” Adamine said slowly.

This caused the rest of us to snap our heads towards her. Pomus’ eyes narrowed while me and my mother simply looked at Adamine with confusion.

 

“You mean you’ve been lying to us this whole time? You and Nobyl actually have a child--And--ADAMINE, EXPLAIN YOURSELF.” Pomus demanded, rising to her feet. Apparently she thought her pride was being challenged, something that easily got under her skin.

“Two children, actually.” My aunt responded coolly. “Not much younger than Belladonna, actually. But only one has wings--the boy.”

“And you’ve kept this secret for-- _WHY_?”

“It’s not like we really wanted to.” Was Adamine’s bitter response. “But with the climate of Nox and not being ready to be parents… We just dropped them off with only their names. We haven’t seen them since then.”

“I can’t believe both of my sisters are… Are…” Pomus started, looking between Adamine and my mother.

“ _I CAN’T BELIEVE THEY’RE BOTH TRAITORS!_ ” She finally screamed, proceeding to stomp out of the room. A few seconds later, the door slammed loudly, making me flinch, but neither Adamine nor Sanguis responded.

This was… Certainly news to me. I had cousins? And one of them could potentially be crowned the next king?

How was I supposed to process this? Why did Adamine think it was okay to keep secret all this time?

 

“We need to find them.” I suddenly said, snapping the other two from their stupors. “They need to come back to Nox, be recognized! Maybe with the revelation that one is winged, the Red Branch could be--”

“It’s not a bad idea.” Adamine said, but her tone didn’t sound as hopeful as mine. “But I have no idea where they are now. They’re adults themselves at this point, and are likely moving about. They would know nothing about Nox or Dream Demon culture. Who’s to say they’ll even want to be plunged into all this?”

Sanguis said nothing, but sighed and nodded a bit, agreeing with her sister. That made a spark of anger flare up in my chest. Why were these two being so static? There was a chance for redemption here! A chance that Nox could be fixed!

“Who’s to say we’ll even have the chance to reveal them?” Sanguis then managed. “If we step foot outside of Nox and bring in two more outsiders, we may be met with more hostility.”

The spark then grew into a flame. Was I really hearing this? From my own _mother_? Looks like she was right about me not getting my determination from her, then.

“You two are… You’re… _YOU’RE BOTH IDIOTS._ ” I couldn’t help but snap. I hardly ever rose my voice at my family, but this was a special case.

“So you’re just throwing everything away because if some potential pushback? Like it would be worse than what we have to put up with on a daily basis! If there’s a chance, I say take it, so if you two won’t take that risk… Then I will!”

“Bella, wait--” My mother tried to protest, but I was already heading for the door. I didn’t care that I didn’t have any supplies. Or that I didn’t know where I was going. I just had to leave.

 

“The Mushroom Kingdom.” Adamine then spoke up, making the pair of us pause just feet from the doorway.

“That’s where one of them is. The boy. His name is Cygnus, and he has blue aether. The girl is Estelle, with blue as well, but… I don’t remember where Nobyl and I left her.”

She was looking straight at me, trying to convey some sort of desperate plea. At that moment I understood the motivation for her inactivity. She was scared. She didn’t know what would happen if she went, or if she would even like what she found. But she would let me, at least.

“Please… Find them. For the sake of both this family and Nox’s stability.” She mumbled, looking back down to her lap.

I nodded solemnly, and Sanguis’ stance relaxed, knowing she couldn’t argue now. All she could do was give me a ‘be careful’ look.

 

“I’ll be fine.” I insisted, trying to soothe her a bit. “And I’ll return as soon as I’ve found both of them.”

And with that, I turned and stepped out the door.

 

Traveling dimensions was second nature to Demons. We had to in order to find sleeping subjects to feed on, but we were never allowed to stay away from Nox for very long.

By doing this, I would be breaking so many rules, but then again I already did by simply existing. It’s not like it was a problem for me.

The problem was I didn’t know how to reach the Mushroom Kingdom. I had never been there, so finding its placement in the giant weave of reality was… Tricky, to say the least.

My best bet would be to just warp randomly until I stumbled upon it, and that was honestly a better start than I could have hoped for, so…

Looking back and forth down the street to make sure nobody was watching, I focused my energy in order to shimmer out of sight, slipping between dimensions and preparing to whisk away to another world.

 

Little did I know I would end up getting very, very lost.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'Snowish where's the Mario stuff this is supposed to be a Mario fanfic right'
> 
> sWEATS NERVOUSLY YES.... I SWEAR... IT IS... I JUST NEEDED A WAY TO SET THE SCENARIO NICE AND GOOD.   
> I mean like the description says this focuses a lot on original worldbuilding I came up with for my Mario stories, even more than Unmasked did.
> 
> This just seemed like the most natural way to start it given I'm challenging myself by writing it in first person. Still have no idea if I wanna swap perspectives from character to character or stick to Belladonna, but I guess we'll see.
> 
> That being said, if you have any feedback, I would greatly appreciate it! I wanna make sure I'm not being too heavy with worldbuilding but it's hard balancing 'what needs to be explained,' 'what can the readers infer,' and 'what will definitely be explained later it's just not entirely relevant now.'
> 
> Anyway, as always if you wanna see what I'm up to in-between updates, check me out on tumblr!  
> http://snow-ish.tumblr.com


	3. A Pair of Propositions

* * *

 

 

When I felt my feet hit new ground, I immediately stumbled, not expecting anything different from the stone paths I had been so used to back in Nox.

But this wasn’t Nox. I had to remind myself of that. I was no longer in Nox, and I would not be returning to Nox until I found my cousins.

That being said… Where do I even begin? Where _was_ I? It was very dark, but nothing my Demon eyes couldn’t handle.

Taking a brief look around, the place was overrun with large clumps of brambles. I couldn’t even tell if the lack of light was because it was night or that the plants were covering the sky. Didn’t this place have some sort of gardener or something? Who let plants get this bad?

Well, moving about would be better than standing here and critiquing the foliage, so I decided to set out. Perhaps if I was lucky, I could find somebody around here.

 

Note how I said if I was lucky.

I’ll just be frank here: I’m not a very lucky person.

Which is probably why I spent the next half hour wandering in the brambles, getting my aether caught on some too-low vines or pricking my feet on thorns from withered bits. (Why don’t the thorns wither too? Why do they have to stay behind and be _painful_ **_little_ ** \--)

_Cough._

Okay, that definitely _wasn’t_ me.

In the middle of what seemed to be a long hallway of vines, I heard a cough. You’d think I would jump at that and be relieved to find somebody else--Hooray, no more wandering!

Well, you’d at least be right about the _jumping_ part.

I jumped, obviously, but not in relief. No, I leapt _up_ in surprise and proceeded to get my aether caught once again in the tangle of brambles, making things very painful as I dropped back down to the ground.

“ _OW--_ **_DAMMIT!_ ** ” I roared, biting back some tears that were triggered by instinct. As much as I would have loved to inspect the source of the cough, I needed to get my hair free first.

 

Dream Aether’s a weird substance, not gonna lie. It makes up the hair and tails of Dream Demons, coming in one or two of five colors. Though gaseous and easily passed through, sometimes it behaves like normal hair if built up in high enough concentrations.

As I mentioned before, my aether was red, and also has yellow streaks. This indicates the types of Dream Demon magic I’m capable of using. Each color represents a set of skills, and if you have more than one color, you can use more than one type.

For now I’ll just get into the colors relevant to my aether--red and yellow. Red is indicative of Persuading magic, which means hypnotism and being able to influence others. Yellow, on the other hand, means Altering magic. This allows us to alter the aspects of our victim’s dreams, as well as part of our appearance.

Honestly, I hardly ever use my magic. I just never have the need to, even when preying on dreams. So far I’ve only really used my Altering abilities, and that was to make myself more comfortable with my appearance.

 

Anyway, it took a couple of minutes to separate my aether from the vines, and by that point, the coughing had increased in intensity. It didn’t take too long to figure out the source was nearby, so I began to step carefully in its direction.

_Cough-cough! COUGH!_

Wow, this person was having a real hard time. Did they have allergies or something? I almost expected them to be some sort of feline having difficulties with a furball.

But no, as I cautiously rounded the corner of prickly plants, I was met with a definitely _not_ feline woman sitting on the ground, a hand covering her mouth as she tried to calm her coughs.

Her hair was pretty odd--and as somebody who just told you about Dream Aether, that says a bit. It was pale yellow and partitioned into three sections, two at the sides of her head and one at the top. They were curled in near-spherical shapes, which just made me all the more confused.

Deciding to shift attention from that, I took a glance at the rest of her. She was draped in a pale purple cloak, with some form of pink brooch acting as a clasp. I also noticed her skin was a pale green, and it was at that point I realized what she was.

She was a Beanish! Residents of the Beanbean Kingdom, a neighbor of the Mushroom Kingdom. I at least knew that much! That meant I was near where I wanted to be, right? Perhaps she could tell me more!

“Hey!” I cried, stepping forward. “Hello, are you okay?”

 

“Huh?” The woman managed, raising her head just enough to look at me. She looked a little worse for wear, what with her eyes showing clear exhaustion and her voice frail from all the coughing.

“You were coughing pretty hard, are you--” I started, but froze upon catching sight of something hanging from her mouth. It looked like a… Flower petal?

“You got a little something…” I mumbled, my voice trailing off. Had she been coughing because a flower was in her throat? I heard Beanish were plant-based beings, but… _Really?_

“I-I’m sorry, I-- _COUGH_ \--” She managed, covering her mouth again and looking away from me. “I’m alright, please-- _COUGH_ \--don’t worry about me.”

“I dunno, coughing up flowers definitely seems like a cause for worry. Unless you Beanish do that on occasion.”

“N-No, we don’t-- _COUGH_ \--I don’t know why I-- _COUGH COUGH_ \--Please, give me a minute.”

“By all means.”

 

I stood to the side as she coughed a bit more, sending more petals to the ground. Eventually, she started taking deep breaths, and she didn’t seem as strained as she was at first. I assumed that meant the issue had passed.

“Once again, I apologize…” She said in a gentle voice that definitely suited her appearance. She held out a hand to me in order to shake, which I took her up on.

“Belladonna.” I introduced myself.

“A beautiful name.” She commented, before gaining a pensive expression. “Though you are aware that plant is--”

“Poisonous, yeah.” I said quickly. “But I like it, so…”

“I am Shear.” She said with a respectful bow of the head. Now that she wasn’t coughing stuff up, she definitely seemed like a sensible person… Even if we did meet in this thorny hellscape.

As she let go of my hand and met my eyes, she seemed surprised for a split second.

 

“Pardon me for asking, but… Are you a Masked Magician?”

I blinked in surprise. She knew about Masked Magicians? Well, obviously, if she could surmise I was one because of my mask, but it still took me off-guard.

“Y-Yeah. I’m also a Dream Demon.” I explained, shifting nervously a bit. Part of me wanted to ask if she knew about my dad, but… I kinda knew that was a lost cause. I didn’t even know his name, and just because she knew of the race…

“I can’t say I’ve heard of Dream Demons, but I’m actually a Masked Magician myself.” She said, making me even more perplexed.

“How do you know that if you don’t, uh… Have your mask?”

Now it was her turn to blink in surprise. I guess this meeting was just full of things to be surprised about, huh? But after her initial confusion, she put a hand to her face, as if feeling for whatever was supposed to be there.

Then she gasped, her hand falling back down to her mouth to cover it. Her eyes went wide, and I could see she was suddenly not doing so well again.

“I--I shouldn’t be here, I…. I’m not supposed to--” She managed, starting to tremble. “I-I-I--”

 

**_[ Both of you are exactly where you need to be. ]_ **

 

At that point I decided that if one more surprising thing happened, I was heading back to Nox. Finding my cousins was not worth this confusion.

But I was absolutely sure I just heard that voice in my head.

“Please tell me I wasn’t the only one who heard that.” I managed, looking to the still-distraught Shear.

“I heard it too…” She whispered, trying to calm her shaking. Thank the stars she seemed just as surprised as I was.

 

**_[ Please… I need the two of you to come to me. I am very weak, and cannot do this for very long. ]_ **

 

I took a deep breath, doing my best not to devolve into a total freakout--And let me tell you, that was really hard at this point.

Winding up lost in a place filled with thorny vines? Running into a strange Beanish woman who coughed up flowers? Hearing a mystical voice in my head telling me to go find its owner?

 _Yeah, I was pretty close to panicking at this point._ All I wanted to do was find my relatives, man.

“It came from this direction…” Shear mumbled, standing up straight and starting to walk down the corridor of vines.

You know what, I take back what I said about her seeming sensible.

“Wait, so we’re just going to follow it?!” I yelled after her, too cautious to move.

“What other options do we have?” Was all she asked over her shoulder as she continued.

Okay she did have a bit of a point. But wait--I could just teleport somewhere else, right? Screw this place, I’ll just hop to another dimension!

But… As I attempted to prepare for that, a funny feeling entered my gut. For some reason, I felt that doing that would be… Wrong. And if it was some kind of trap, leaving Shear alone to endure it definitely wouldn’t sit well on my conscience.

 

“I’d better not regret this…” I mumbled to myself, finally hurrying after Shear.

 

* * *

 

It wasn’t very long until we reached the apparent ‘source’ of this voice. A few minutes into walking down the path, we stepped into a larger clearing, this one actually not covered by vines and full of faint moonlight.

I took a cautious glance around, not finding much on the perimeter of the space, but was immediately drawn to the center as I moved further in.

 

A tree stood there, stretching up a good twenty feet at least. While the vines surrounding this area otherwise seemed healthy, this tree was…

Well, it looked dead. The bark was cracked and dark, and not a single leaf hung on the branches. That definitely seemed ominous.

But Shear had already approached the tree with no apparent fear, so I wasn’t going to seem like a chicken and not follow her.

“The source is around here, but… I don’t see anyone.” Shear admitted, frowning.

“Maybe it’s the tree?” I said. Yeah, it was dumb, but would you have suggested anything better?

 

**_[ You’re half-right. ]_ **

 

And then, before our eyes, the tree changed.

With the gentle creaking of its branches, the tree began to shrink down. While it started at a towering height of twenty feet, it came to rest only a bit above my own head, and then proceeded to glow.

Dream Demon eyes are great in the dark. The light? Not to much. So when stuff starts glowing or shining or sparkling, we have to look away before we get nearly blinded. As cool as it was to see this tree do some magical stuff, I wasn’t going to risk my eyesight to witness it.

When the light finally faded, I looked back, wondering what the tree had done in the midst of all that shining.

 

And well…

It definitely wasn’t a tree anymore, that’s for sure.

A new figure stood before the pair of us, looking down worriedly with a single, amber eye. Her face resembled that of a flow--wait, it wasn’t just her face… She was actually a flower in her entirety. A six-foot-tall cyclopian flower, sure, but… A flower most definitely.

“My sincerest apologies for bringing you both here with no notice.” She spoke, her voice so gentle I could barely hear her. “But I had to act quickly.”

“ _You_ brought us here?” I asked, eyebrows raising. “But I just teleported on my own.”

I was going to say I didn’t know about Shear, but she did mention how she wasn’t supposed to be here, so…

“It was easy manipulating where you ended up, especially since you weren’t really trying to go anywhere specific.” The flower chuckled apologetically. “But let’s not focus on that. As I said, I do not have a lot of time, and I must set you on the proper path.”

 

“Proper--I--I shouldn’t be here at all!” Shear suddenly spoke up. She had been calm in the preceding moments, but not looked as if she had let panic fully take her over.

“I am aware, Shear.” The flower said, holding up a leafy hand to stop her protests. “But your story is not over. I don’t think you want to scare Belladonna off, so could we keep that detail secret for now?”

Shear looked like she wanted to say more, but her voice did not reach her. Instead, she closed her mouth and looked at the ground.

“Now then,” The flower said, turning so she was facing both of us. “I’ll start with the basics. My name is Flora. And I am the goddess of life and the world. The place I have brought you to--here--is called the Root of the World.”

 

Aaaaand she already lost me.

She was a goddess? This talking one-eyed flower, apparently capable of manipulating one’s teleportation, was a goddess.

And I thought the surprises were going to end after hearing her voice in my head. Just what have I gotten myself into?

Shear, meanwhile, seemed to actually understand a bit. Maybe Beanish were a bit more versed in theology or something, but Dream Demons didn’t actually focus on that kind of stuff in our everyday lives.

“Flora? But… You look so…” She started, but trailed off upon really taking in the goddess’ form.

Her body, rather than a healthy shade of green, was a gross brown. Her tail, presumably once long and voluminous, was dried up and full of holes. The dark red of her petals seemed too dim to be healthy.

 

“Desiccated?” Flora suggested, smiling weakly. “That happens when you’re dying.”

“Dying?” I spoke up. That definitely didn’t make sense. Weren’t gods, by definition, immortal?

“Unfortunately, yes.” Flora sighed, though her smile remained as it grew a bit more pained. “For the past seven years, I have been losing my energy. Now the entire world is in danger.”

She gestured around us, noting the lack of growth aside from the brambles.

“The Root of the World was severely damaged by an outside force, and I unfortunately was unable to help it recover. Because I’m linked to the Root… As it dies, I die. If the Root is permitted to collapse, then I will disappear as well.”

 

“Oh no…” Shear gasped.

“And that’s not the worst of it.” Flora admitted. “The Root of the World acts as the structure for all dimensions. It holds them up, and makes sure they remain structurally sound. But because of that outside force damaging it, all dimensions will be plunged into instability if it is not fixed soon.”

“Well, what do you want us to do?” I asked, biting my lip. “You’re a goddess, and you can’t do anything, what makes you think mortals like us can help?”

“You specifically can’t do anything.” Flora sighed with a nod. “But you can find the ones who can. The Godlings.”

“Godlings?”

“Children of Cysolix, Bynoctis, and I. Admittedly, they put more work into the mortal world than the three of us. I believe, perhaps with their power, life could be returned to the Root.”

 

At this point, I had to bury my head in my claws. This was getting too ridiculous, even if there was living proof right in front of me. I wanted to find my cousins! Not go on some epic quest to save the world!

“Belladonna, Nox is upheld by the Root as well. If you don’t do this, you will have no home to bring your cousins back to.” Flora said, her stern tone surprising me. Had she been reading my thoughts?

“How-HOW DID YOU KNOW I--” I blurted, whipping my head up to look at her. This whole scenario was making my head spin! I honestly wanted to believe this was some sort of dream!

“Premonition is among my godly abilities.” Flora said as-a-matter-of-factly. “And if you would just learn to trust your destiny, I can assure you that you will find what you want along the way.”

“Where do we even find these other gods…” I groaned, rubbing my temples. This was getting annoying. Leave it to the almighty being to only give half the necessary details!

“I’m afraid I’m on Belladonna’s side with this, miss…” Shear managed. “This is all so sudden, and--Why me--us--of all people? I-I-You know where you brought me from, and you know I shouldn’t leave--”

Flora held up her hands again, biting her lip as she realized just what she was asking of us. We had no reason to trust her, and neither of us were ready for this.

Just what was Shear going on about, though?

 

“I hate to hang this over your heads, but I am serious when I say the fate of all dimensions relies on the outcome of this. I sense something shall happen to put the Root under even more stress, and without help from the Godlings, it will not survive… I will not survive.”

Flora added that last part almost as an afterthought. Apparently she thought more highly of it than she did herself. I would probably have felt a little sorry for her, but I was still confused as all heck and ticked off with this situation.

“I’m sorry, but--” I began, but was cut off by Shear suddenly starting to cough again.

Both Flora and I looked at her worriedly, unsure what to do as the Beanish began to spit out more petals. Did she need help?

But after a moment, Shear reached into her mouth and pulled something out--the head of a flower. From what I could tell, it was pale purple, with five petals and shaped like a bell.

“Harebell…” Flora mumbled. Was that was the flower was?

“I’ll do it.” Shear managed as she caught her breath. “I don’t know about Belladonna, but I will do my best to help you, Flora.”

 

“Why is she spitting up flowers?” I couldn’t help but suddenly ask, looking to Flora. Her expression definitely hinted that she knew what was up.

“It’s… A side effect of bringing her here.” Flora said quietly. “She’s a Beanish and a Masked Magician… It’s not surprising that some of my nature-based powers seeped into her. Harebell means submission and grief. She agreed to help, but she isn’t happy about it.”

“I’m not.” Shear agreed. “But it seems I don’t have much choice. I’m only agreeing on the hope that once this is settled, things will go back to the way they’re _supposed_ to be.”

She then shot a surprisingly dark look to Flora, who flinched away. What were these two keeping from me?

“Then… I guess I’ll do it too.” I grumbled, folding my arms. If the fate of the world really was at stake, then it would be pretty darn selfish of me to refuse.

“Thank you both.” Flora said, relieved. “I apologize for putting you in such positions, once again.”

 

“So where do we find the Godlings?” Shear asked after clearing her throat to make sure no more petals were stuck in her windpipe. Glad to see we were getting back to my question.

At this, Flora shrunk back a little, like she knew we weren’t going to like her answer.

“I have no idea. I’m tied to the Root, so I cannot travel, and… I do not keep in touch with them.”

“Of course you don’t.” I mumbled, narrowing my eyes.

“But,” Flora started hopefully. “One will definitely be in the same dimension as the Mushroom Kingdom. Of that I am certain.”

Well, that was _sort_ of helpful. I needed to go there, anyway. Perhaps we could find Cygnus along the way. Especially with what Flora said about ‘finding what I wanted’ and all.

“Then let’s get going.” I insisted with a glance to Shear, who nodded solemnly.

“I wish you two the best.” Flora said with one last gentle smile.

 

And with that, the area around us began to swirl and shimmer as we were whisked away.

\----

Teleportation only lasted a few moments, but it was still a little disorienting at times. By the time everything stopped moving, the pair of us were in the middle of an empty street, surrounded by stone buildings with very few lights on in the windows.

“Well, we’d better get started.” I mumbled, turning to look at Shear, but pausing upon noticing her expression.

 

She seemed… Tired. Had all that coughing gotten to her? No, that didn’t seem to be the case, actually. It felt like her exhaustion was more emotional than physical.

“Could we get some rest first?” She asked softly. “If we’re going to travel, I need to get out of this formal ensemble. Besides, I think we should take a moment to breathe and know each other a little more before jumping into things.”

I frowned, noting she had a point. But I really wanted to get a move on and find my cousins…

“Only if you tell me what you were talking about back there. About how you wanted things to go back to normal.” I said.

 

Shear’s brow furrowed, not sure what to do. After a moment of thought, however, she sighed.

“I suppose I must, in any case.” She admitted. “It’ll come up eventually, so sooner is better than later. Let’s find an inn or something and I shall explain.”

And with that, she started down the road while I trailed behind her.

 

* * *

 

The tavern in Rogueport was full and busy, as it typically was at this time of night. Miscreants of all shapes and sizes had gathered to unwind, share tales of their exploits, and count their coin before turning in. The atmosphere was homely, but only if you were familiar with the territory. Any stranger setting foot in here would definitely be on edge.

But surprisingly, this one wasn’t. Any regular could tell you they had never seen him before (then again, there were always one or two individuals who only passed through for a night), but the large gaggle of thieves and lowlifes did not make him falter as he made his way to the back of the establishment.

His dark grey cloak covered his entire body, and he did not remove it upon sitting down in the booth. That wasn’t uncommon here. Many people preferred their privacy, even in the town of thieves.

That being said, the one who sat across from him seemed to be doing the exact opposite. With his shimmering skin and wispy blue hair that looked like a chunk of the night sky, he didn’t exactly blend in. But in this place you paid no heed to others unless approached, so nobody cared.

“I take it you’re Tartaris.” He said with a fanged grin, to which the cloaked figure nodded. This prompted the scoundrel to lean forward on the table, propping his chin on the backs of his clawed hands.

“Then how’s about you take off that cloak and let’s get to business. I prefer to know who my clients are before accepting their requests, you know.”

“Who I am is not important.” Tartaris replied, his voice a bit nasally and scratchy. This made the other raise an eyebrow, as he did not expect that voice from somebody so stout.

“Tell me why.”

“Because I am merely the middleman. Your real client is rather busy, and tends to… Rely on individuals such as myself in order to get things done. I can assure you as her representative, I am just as trustworthy, so please, Specter… Hear us out.”

 

At this point, he drew out a sealed envelope from his cloak, sliding it across the table. Specter, who had been poised to stand up and leave, paused, narrowing his eyes. He took note of Tartaris’ purple skin and striped suit, but directed his attention to the letter once the man had withdrawn back into his cloak.

After a moment, he picked up the envelope, tearing it open with a swift motion of his claw, and took out the parchment within.

Seconds ticked by as Specter read, and Tartaris merely sat there waiting. He hoped that the assassin would take the job, even if it wasn’t usually what he did. Tartaris needed somebody discreet.

And Specter was the best.

 

“So, the Underwhere having a hard time keeping track of its souls, hm?” Specter finally chuckled once he was finished reading. “No wonder you want to keep this quiet. I highly doubt Queen Jaydes even knows that this is going on. So much for being the middleman.”

He leered at Tartaris from over the top of the paper.

“But this is not what I do. I am an assassin, not a bounty hunter.” He finished.

“And you make no exception for the forces of life and death itself?” Tartaris asked coolly.

“Do you think I would be honored to take on a task like this? Are you going to say something like ‘You’re the Underwhere’s first choice, that’s a testament to how good you are?’ Because it is flattering, but it won’t work.”

Tartaris bit his tongue. He _had_ been planning to say something like that. After all, Specter was responsible for sending plenty of souls their way.

 

“What did this little lady even do, anyway?” Specter suddenly asked, looking back to the letter. “She doesn’t look like a soul worthy of the Underwhere.”

“In truth, it’s not the Underwhere she will be returning to.” Tartaris admitted. “She escaped from the Overthere.”

This made Specter once again raise an eyebrow. Even if he wasn’t interested in the job, it was definitely full of surprises. Why would somebody want to leave that place?

“Get somebody else to be your grim reaper, friend.” He finally sighed, sliding the letter back to Tartaris. “I’m sure there are plenty of others who want your coin, but I only do what I know.”

He stood up from the booth and began to stride away, leaving Tartaris alone and unsure what to do. As the D-Man mulled things over, he suddenly had an idea, and spoke up.

 

“If you don’t want coin, perhaps information. Your family. Surely you’ve been wondering about them, yes?”

This made Specter stop in his tracks, remaining still for a moment before turning his head slightly to glance at Tartaris and indicate he was listening. As Tartaris caught sight of the bright pink scar under the other’s eye, he smiled to himself. Of course he would be interested in that.

“Seventy years old, and you barely seem a day over twenty. You’re definitely one of a kind around here, kid.” Tartaris went on. “But the Underwhere keeps track of every family tree, regardless of whether or not they’re destined for the place. I could tell you who your parents are. Where they are.”

Specter turned back to face the way he had been heading, but did not move. Apparently he was thinking things over. That was fine by Tartaris. He was certain the arrangement was sealed.

“I’ll do it.” Specter finally said, swiveling to look at his client. “In as little as three days. We will meet at the designated area, and make the exchange there.”

 

“Excellent.” Tartaris replied. “Then please, take the letter. It contains all the information you need to know about your target” He said as he slid the paper back towards Specter.

“Already have it memorized.” Specter said flatly. “Shear Fabacea. Beanish. Died and went to the Overthere, but somehow escaped and is currently located somewhere in the Mushroom Kingdom. Locate and apprehend her without too much harm. I’ll find her.”

And with that, Specter turned one final time and walked away, vanishing into the thick crowd.

“Very well then…” Tartaris said into the open air.

He then stood up, making sure his cloak was still properly hiding his form, before heading out himself.

 

He did not doubt Specter’s abilities, so he figured he might as well get the payment now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ohohoOHOHOHOHOHOHO SNEAKY MEETINGS IN CROWDED BARS I WONDER WHERE THIS IS GOING


End file.
